Our View: Start the battle against Citizens United today

Thursday

Oct 25, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 25, 2012 at 11:04 AM

No SouthCoast cities or towns will see Question 4 on the Nov. 6 ballot, but it doesn't prevent area residents from raising their voices along with those who will see it, to send a loud message to lawmakers about taking on the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

No SouthCoast cities or towns will see Question 4 on the Nov. 6 ballot, but it doesn't prevent area residents from raising their voices along with those who will see it, to send a loud message to lawmakers about taking on the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

The 2010 high court decision, which held that corporations can spend unlimited, untraceable funds to affect the outcomes of elections, reaffirmed earlier rulings that indicated that corporations are, in the eyes of the law, people, and therefore have the same rights. The net effect of this has been an accelerated undermining of American democracy, transforming our already-fractious campaign finance system into a de facto plutocracy.

If there were any lingering doubt as to the danger of this questionable legal decision, one need only turn to the 2012 presidential contest; both major party candidates and their surrogate political action committees are on target to spend in excess of a billion dollars each on this campaign. That spending can come in the form of television and radio advertisements, grassroots support, fliers, robocalls and the dozens of other outreach efforts that can have a huge impact on who sits in the White House and who controls Congress. Although some of that funding has and will come from individuals, both wealthy and otherwise, a significant share will have come from corporations and special interest groups.

It would be nice to think that these corporations are selfless and that they truly have the best interest of all Americans at heart, but that seems more than just a little naive. It is far more likely that these contributors are thinking of their donations as more of an investment than some altruistic effort. Many are undoubtedly hoping that these capital outlays will pay off in the form of an administration and lawmakers who are more sympathetic to their particular interests.

As unsettling as the prospect of bought-off candidates is, this is hardly a new concept in American politics. What is different, in addition to the exorbitant amounts of money, is the cloak of anonymity that obscures these donations. In the past, there was a more distinct paper trail for those who were willing to look for it; the payments to political causes could be traced back thanks to federal election guidelines.

That map to the money has been erased by the Citizens United ruling. Now, in addition to virtually unlimited sums, corporate donors need no longer fear that their political habits will ever see the light of day, leaving us unable to draw a line between money and government action and vote. Gone is even the illusion of accountability and left in its place are interests, American, multinational and foreign, that can wield an inordinate amount of influence on an election without fear of discovery, and in such volume as to render the voter's influence moot.

If passed, Question 4 will not repeal the Citizens United decision. It would, however, help turn back the tide. It calls on state representatives to vote in favor of a resolution that would push Congress to craft a constitutional amendment. As proposed, this amendment would affirm that corporations should not be treated as if they were human beings, and would allow Congress and the states to implement limits on political contributions and spending.

Some proponents of the Citizens United ruling argue that to reverse this decision would place unfair restrictions on free speech. How ironic. Removing this legal blight from our political landscape would help empower individual voices to once again be heard over the din of corporate-sponsored self-interests.

There is a name for protecting the rights of people over those of corporate interests and the powerful. It's called democracy. Voting yes on Question 4 will help restore that precious sense of democracy, returning a modicum of accountability to a system that desperately needs it.

Voters in many Cape communities and in Attleboro are urged to vote YES on Question 4. If it's not on your ballots, don't wait for the vote. Contact your representatives and senators and let them know that you stand with those who oppose another advantage for those who already had influence in Washington that you don't through the mechanism of lobbying. Tell them to support an amendment that would strengthen the cause of democracy and temper the influence of those whose duty and loyaly are to stockholders, not people.